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Oct 25, 2009

BIRTHDAY GET-AWAY

My birthday is on October 26th. (thank you). My BB guy took me away yesterday morning or a short overnighter in the US. We left around 8:00 a.m. and headed for Washington State. We were not going far.

First we had to stop for breakfast having only had coffee at home. We stopped into Bob's Burgers & Brew for a regular style breakfast of eggs, hash browns toast and bacon or sausage. We were just looking for something quick. It filled the bill. There is a giant almost wall to wall stone fireplace in there. They already had up a couple of Christmas trees. It must be great to decorate that huge fireplace. I'll bet the moose head looks darn right festive come December. That is right, giant moose head and many other trophies. Stuffed turkeys and I don't mean with my bread stuffing recipe. Pheasants, moose, deer. Oh my. Not for the faint of heart.

We carried on now full of breakfast grease down to La Conner. This town boasts some amazing galleries and interesting stores. La Conner sits on a delta at the mouth of the Skagit River.

One window had costumed geese posed all over, fun and casual. While the next one had elegant glass pumpkins.

There were some empty lots between the old buildings and the town doesn't leave them empty looking. They have created some lovely places to sit or to simply enjoy.

Let me point out to you that my BB guy is 6 foot 3 inches tall and truly is Big and Burly. Now look at the size of that tree burl. Oh my heavens that thing was big.

In one of the antique stores I found a wire card holder that I will use to display some of my Santa postcards. I really liked the wooden trees on their front porch.

My BB guy had brought along some champagne glasses and we were on the lookout for some libations. We came upon a wine shop and that was open for tastings of wine and cheeses. Hellam's Vineyard is the name of the store. It was too early for us to start drinking but we had a good look around. If we could have brought some back across the border without paying huge duty and taxes we would have spent a bundle.

Alas we were just buying champagne and asked the proprietor, Jeffrey Hellam, for his recommendation of an inexpensive one. We bought the Bott Geyl Cremant D'Alsace for $21. When we got to our room we put it on ice to savor later. We enjoyed it before we went down to the casino and well before our dinner. It was great value with plenty of teeny sparkling bubbles that kept on coming. It tasted so fresh and light. It was perfect for a before dinner aperitif or would have gone lovely with a creamy brie and a crisp flatbread.

We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant that my BB guy had been to before. It is called El Gitano and is not far from Bellingham. They have a few others around the area too.Very much what you would expect decor wise. The staff were attentive and friendly. I had two Patron margaritas that were just what I needed after walking around La Conner for a while.

The complimentary salsa and chips tasted really fresh and there was a definite bite to the salsa. It tasted of fresh cilantro too. My meal was Chicken en mole which is a dark sauce that actually has chocolate in it. Not sweetened but real dark chocolate.

We both really enjoyed our meals.Now off to the hotel to regroup.

Now I will tell you that I don't gamble. I find it to be completely boring and also it kills me to see that money disappear. Oh yes it reappears sometimes but mostly you can kiss it goodbye. My BB guy on the other hand doesn't see things the same way and he will not hesitate to feed the insatiable machines while they tinkle and jingle and bing bong. Aaaargh. Obviously he was the one who booked our hotel. In a casino. With ugh!!! smokers everywhere. Our room was lovely and the window opened which is a big thing for me.

We had two of these queen size beds and they were so comfortable. We wanted a king but they only had them in smoking rooms. No way. So I had a whole bed to myself. I liked that there was a separate makeup area in the bathroom and also the shower and toilet were in a separate area with a door.

We had booked a late dinner for 9:30 so after our champagne we went to the casino for a short while. We went to the Steak House in the hotel and it was a wonderful meal. They start off by telling you that you will have two servers for your evening, not just one. Service is paramount.

We ordered a bottle of wine from a winery in Argentina called Gascon. Malbec is one of our favorites so of course we wanted to try this one. For the second time this day I enjoyed the flavor of chocolate but this time it was wrapped around a cherry. A fabulous wine that was decanted for a while first to allow some oxygen into it and let the flavors develop.

They used an aerator similar to this but it poured out the sides and hugged the sides of the carafe as it tumbled down to the pool at the bottom. Genius. We were serve a complimentary salmon mousse with different breads. My BB guy had the biggest prawns he has ever had in his life. Next we were served a palate cleanser of champagne with a little ball or sorbet floating in it. This was so refreshing and brought our palates back to neutral before we tasted our decanted wine. Our meals were cooked perfectly. The service was impeccable. I rate it highly. There was no room for dessert but as I said I had my chocolate fix twice already with out even eating candy. I had a great birthday get-away. We shopped on Sunday and the best part was we were sent through customs without having to go in and pay duty. We claimed everything we bought and were just under the allowable amount. Hey...I missed you guys.

23 comments:

Happy Birthday!! Sounds like you had a fab time! Neat little town you visited!

On a side note...I'm obsessing over the dressed up ducks. I had a neighbor years ago who made little costumes for her concrete "porch" duck & I've wanted one for my own ever since! Might just need to find me one after seeing the cute Halloween duck costumes.

Well to another wonderful October baby -- HAPPY HAPPY Birthday!!! Sounds like you had a great time. I LOVE La Conner so pleased to see the pictures. Just called over to sweetie (watching the hockey game - his birthday is Wed) that we have to go there cause Lori posted pictures!!!

Wow sounds wonderful. We like the Malbec (spelling) wine too--we just tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. We are hitting Washington in November. My son lives in the Seattle area , but he has told us of a place that is like a little German town and it has Christmas type lights etc---I hope we can visit that one!! Looks like you had a nice place to visit--love what they did in the empty lots!! happy b.

Lori you were at one of my FAVOURITE spots. La Conner. I'm so so jealous.We used to go there every year, twice a year for the festivals. Your right about the empty lots, they look so cool.I'm glad you had a great birthday weekend. I'm off to Fla. N.C. and hopefully GA. for mine in March... hey it's not often a gal turns 54... and BTW 29? uh huh. lolNice selection of bubbles and wine. DId Mr. BB win?Have a great week.Love Claudiexoxo

Happy Birthday! Sounds like the perfect getaway to celebrate. This looks like a really neat little town, I love what they've done with the empty lots. And your dinner sounds divine. Have a wonderful day. Kathy

Happy Birthday Lori !I can't believe you were in the states and didn't stop by...sniff sniff, LOL LOL !!Sounds like you and the mr had a great outing -of course it was like reading a story book - you are good like that !I guess you saw my Fritz and Floyd - a pumpkin tureen, hee hee - I immediately thought of you when I bought it - because I could see you saying "is that a Fritz and Floyd ??" Your powers are strong......Hugs and have a great week !Kammy

Loved the "tour" of that very cute town -- wow, they've got everything covered, from great wines and restaurants, to a casino, the dressed up geese! LOVE the glass pumpkins. They look like they were grown from the same seeds as Cinderella's coach.

As for the separate toilet/shower room in the hotel --- you like it. I don't. I always think, "Ok, here's the potty. Where's the sink? How can I wash my hands before touching the doorknob? Ok, now where's the Lysol, because NO ONE else can wash their hands either."

No, I'm not a germ nut. Just a nut.

Besides, I do things at the bathroom sink (we won't be specific, but I'll admit it sometimes involves a tweezer) that I don't want an audience for. :-P

happy birthday!!!!

(PS I feel like you do about gambling. Hate casinos, Howard likes them. I want to say "DO-OVER" when I lose.)Best ... Cass

Lori, I'm so glad you enjoyed your day! Gotta love that chocolate flavor! I can't wait for the Halloween candy left-overs. I put everything in the freezer so I wouldn't get it. I've been good, though, I've only eaten 2 bags since it got put in there 3 weeks ago. I told Mr. Sullivan all he has to get me for my b-day next month is the $50 box of my favorite Esther Price chocolates. ummmm~ turtles...

Happy Birthday!!! So glad you got to have a nice Get away! We used to keep our boat in the Marina at La Conner and I love that town. The restaurant sounds wonderful.. did you go to the Casino in Bellingham area or in Bow? I was supposed to have my own get away up in your neck of the woods this weekend in Poco, but it will have to be a little postponed due to the house stuff. Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them! I love the palate cleanser.. champagne with a melon floating.. hmmmmmm yummy!

HI Lori, happy happy birthday what a great trip for your special day! wow that is a big tree trunk! loved all the photos. How fun to get to Washington so quick! I've never been there yet myself. Have a great week!

Enjoyed your post and comments! I added a link to your posting at the La Conner Facebook Fan Page (facebook link at laconnerchamber.com). La Conner has been my home for the past 15 years, and it's wonderful to hear you enjoyed your visit. Happy Birthday!